The new Univision Digital documentary Karol G: La Guerrera del Género (Karol G: The Warrior of the Genre) sheds light on the struggles faced by the Colombian singer during her rise to fame. The video, directed and written by Leo Suarez, includes interviews with the artist and those closest to her. “There wasn’t a plan B. I understood at 14 that I was going to be Karol G for the rest of my life,” says the singer, real name Carolina Giraldo. She also discusses her anxiety over criticism about her weight and personal choices. The singer’s sister Veronica Giraldo reveals, “Carolina fell into a deep depression” around 2012, when she broke off her professional collaboration with singer Reykon and saw how hard it was to make it on her own.

The “Punto G” singer has had to fight to prove her worth as a woman in the male-dominated urban music genre. “Fighting against the fact that women didn’t have a place in urban music was the most difficult,” she admits. Her father, Juan Giraldo, who has been her greatest supporter, remembers how his talented daughter would sing at family parties since the age of 3. The documentary shows adorable home videos of Carolina singing as a child and later as a teen in one of her first music videos “En la playa” [At the beach].

(Photo by Gabe Ginsberg/WireImage)

Her recently released second album Ocean (Universal Music Latin) is another tribute to her love of the sea, and shows her evolution as an artist. Becoming a chart-topper and a force to reckon with in the music industry took many years and hard work. She reminisces about meeting J Balvin at her cousin’s quinceañera years before they were both megastars and they shared the stage at the party, remaining friends for years to come. Collaborations with Ozuna, Nicky Jam and Bad Bunny also put a spotlight on her talent.

The singer’s first album Unstoppable is filled with songs of heartbreak about a past failed relationship and the lessons it brought. “A ella” [To her] (a song she wrote — while crying unconsolably — to a former love rival) became a hit, as well as “Ahora me llama” [Now he calls me], inspired by an ex that left her for another woman and came back months later.

Courtesy of Universal Music Latin/ Photos by Gio Alma

Karol G admits she has learned a lot about herself from romantic relationships: “I was born on February 14. I feel I have it in my blood. I’m super romantic, cheesy, I fall in love easily.” She also says she’s been criticized for ending a relationship and quickly falling in love again. “I don’t follow protocols. When I meet someone who likes that about me and can share that with me, then it’s my perfect match,” she added about her boyfriend, Puerto Rican Trap star Anuel AA.

Although some people have told her she’s nuts for tattooing his name and wearing her heart on her sleeve, she assures about Anuel: “As a woman, he’s made me feel at another level.” She adds about the singer, with whom she recorded the hit duets “Secreto” and “Culpables” and went on tour: “It’s a very healthy relationship, it’s a beautiful relationship.”

(Photo by Victor Chavez/Getty Images)

The singer’s dad, Juan Giraldo, confesses Karol G had to get used to fame. “This loneliness takes an emotional toll,” he says of her nomadic lifestyle, being away from her family to go on tour and spending many hours far from home, in airplanes and hotel rooms. However, it’s a small price to pay to live her dream. Being by her side on stage when she got her first Latin Grammy last year was an unforgettable moment for Giraldo. “It was so exciting,” he concludes. “I felt like I was floating.”